Many people find running a small business very rewarding, yet taking a holiday is rarely one of those rewards. It can be very difficult to spend time away from a business that relies on you, but it's also important for your health to take regular breaks.

One recent study suggested as many as six in 10 small business owners didn't manage to take a holiday last year, and of those that did, three quarters worked every day.

Claire Mitchell, who runs baby-feeding products company Chillipeeps, is one such entrepreneur. Her view is that if you're not working, you're not earning.

She says: "I feel guilty at the thought that I haven't taken a holiday since setting up my business five years ago, and I am desperate for one. But I work alone, so who will look after things while I'm away?

"Small business owners are workaholics, and we find it difficult to switch off, especially with phones that accept email. I usually switch mine off at night, but I work internationally, so I don't always. I will take a break one day, because it's important to spend time with your family."

"We understand that to say 'take a break' is easy," he says, "but putting the structure in place is a lot more difficult. There is a lot of pressure on small business owners: they are consistently firefighting, and many feel the need to 'do more with less', which essentially means everything becomes a lot more intense.".

"But you need to be realistic. It's important to realise that a healthy business requires a healthy leader. If you're not taking proper care of yourself, and that includes taking a break, you're also not taking proper care of your business.

"If you're worn down, your business can suffer. If you've got fatigue or you're anxious, you can make mistakes and lose sight of the bigger picture. Maintaining health and well-being is a major challenge for business owners, but it's an important element."

Clare Bampton, of Derbyshire-based Bampton Communications, recently took her first real holiday in five years. "I have taken holidays previously," she says, "though they were only UK-based, just in case I needed to go back to the office. And I have always worked for part of every day or night during any break. I always take my laptop, phone and back-up drive with all files on, and answer my phone as usual.

Clare's biggest concern is holding on to clients. "I have an awareness of how lucky I've been to have a constant stream of work during the economic crisis, and I want to prove to my clients that they have made the right decision. I know so many small businesses which have been struggling to bring work in that I want to be absolutely sure once I have my clients, I keep them.

"But I recognised that it's not healthy and I should take some time off. This time, I still stayed in the UK and took my laptop, but I only checked emails and didn't respond.

"I was firmer with myself. I have a lovely bunch of clients and not one of them would insist I deal with something while I was on holiday. I planned more for not being able to work that week and had to take a deep breath and move a couple of delivery dates so I didn't have to do the pieces of work on holiday."

She adds: "Try to find someone who can cover the basics, such as calls and emails. I have a wonderful colleague who can cover for some of the work in my absence. I've worked alongside her on many projects for more than a decade, and it's great to have that support if you are on holiday. Find someone you trust and work with them to give yourself a break."

In some instances, the process of finding a colleague to help has been formalised. Claire Summers works for herself under the Travel Counsellors banner and regularly takes advantage of its Travel Buddy system.

She explains: "I am self-employed and work on commission only, so going on holiday can result in lost earnings. Therefore, we buddy up with another travel counsellor who will run our business at the same time as running theirs.

"Some travel counsellors agree to give some of their commission to the buddy but, for probably about 95% of the time, the buddy doesn't take anything. I can go on holiday knowing that my business is still open and that I am earning money while I am away.

"As we are such a tightly knit company we are willing to take on double the workload for no personal gain, other than to help out a fellow travel counsellor, and also knowing we all need cover from time to time. I have found a buddy who is on my wavelength and deals with business the way I do, which makes it seem less of a disruption for my clients and makes me happy when I return."

Others have noted that their own businesses endure natural quiet times. That's quite often around Christmas and New Year, or whenever demand for your product or service drops. Embrace this, and shut up shop and take your break.

Most entrepreneurs recognise that breaks are important, and almost all accept that things are very unlikely to go badly wrong while they are away for a short while, yet holidays still remain a rarity in the world of small business owners. It takes discipline.